Healthcare leaders should empower physicians to ask questions about regulatory requirements to identify clerical tasks that may not be necessary and reduce burnout, according to the American Medical Association.
For example, Cleveland Clinic required physicians to re-enter their passwords in the EHR when signing ambulatory orders of noncontrolled medications. It wasn't until a physician questioned the practice that leaders realized the state pharmacy board quietly stopped requiring it in 2021. The system dropped the requirement in 2023, saving an estimated $2 million annually and thousands of hours for physicians, the AMA wrote in an Aug. 22 article.
Here are three tips for how health systems can communicate with physicians about regulations, per the AMA.
1. Determine the organizational approach.
Hospitals and health systems should identify how their organization interprets the regulation and provide any necessary guidance on how to comply with it.
Additionally, it is important to create a plan to ensure everyone in the organization understands what the regulation means, according to the AMA. It also recommends learning what similar organizations are doing in response to the regulation.
2. Provide the source of the regulation.
Hospitals or health systems should have information regarding the source of the regulation accessible to provide greater clarity to its workforce. For example, it is important to share if a policy is organizational, or required by a federal or state agency.
It can also be helpful for physicians to understand if there is a specific goal related to the requirement, the AMA wrote.
3. Provide more details, such as a deadline for compliance.
Other important information to prepare for physician teams involves consequences of noncompliance, who is requiring the new rules and if all physicians are required to do this, the AMA wrote.